Intel's Ultrabooks to cost around $1,000 on launch

The world's largest chip-maker Intel Corporation today said the new 'Ultrabook' devices being developed with its technology will initially cost around USD 1,000, but the price tag should fall below USD 799 in coming years.

Such a price tag would bring Ultrabooks which are billed as being slimmer, faster and lighter than conventional notebook PCs closer to tablet devices in terms of pricing,

although Intel does not expect the computing devices to be in direct competition, as they cater to different categories of consumers with different requirements.

"Initially, the Ultrabooks should be priced in the sub-USD 1,000 (Rs 45,000) category. But the prices should come below USD 799 and even further lower in the coming years,"

Speaking to journalists at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) 2011, Eden said the price tag of around USD 1,000 could be too expensive for consumer's budgets, but the ultimate

objective was to make Ultrabooks available at a price that works for users.

Intel expects to kick off the first phase of the roll-out of Ultrabooks later this year with its second-generation Core processors, followed by third-generation 'Ivy League' processor-powered Ultrabooks next year and Intel's next-generation Haswell processors in the third and final phase in 2013.

PC-makers are expected to start selling Ultrabooks in the US market this holiday season and the product should be available in other parts of the world around the same time.

The final price of these computers, either for the US or other markets, including India, would be determined by the computer manufacturers.

Eden dismissed suggestions that Ultrabooks would eat into the share of tablet PCs or other computing devices and said that various kinds of devices, such as smartphones, tablets and Ultrabooks, had their own functions and usefulness.

Eden said he expects the Ultrabooks to eventually become mthe mainstream computing devices for the users and his estimate for initial years was for 40 per cent of traditional notebook PC users to move to Ultrabooks.

"One would have to wait for at least two years to see the transition happening in this market," he said, adding that tablet PCs would continue to have their own place in the market.